"The Loneliest Place in the World" is the first episode of season two and it offers a HUGE and unexpected change....they wrote Robert Lansing (General Savage) off the show! I did a bit of research and found an article that claims the network didn't want Lansing helming the show and Quinn Martin Productions was forced to remove him...or face not having the show renewed!
To get past this problem, the opening scene somewhat clumsily gets rid of the General. Supposedly a captured B-17 manned by Germans flies into the formation and attacks Savage's plane and he's killed...but you never see him.
Soon Colonel Gallagher (Paul Burke) is put in temporary charge of the bomber group. However, he's very uncertain of himself and blames himself for allowing the straggler B-17 (manned by Germans) to join the flight. Who eventually is named the permanent leader is uncertain BUT considering Paul Burke is now listed first in the opening credits, it's not like the show left us in suspense!! Despite this, it's a decent episode and worth seeing...even with Savage's death.
By the way, in the movie version of "12 O'Clock High", Savage was not killed but was cashed out due to battle fatigue (PTSD) and mental strain. I wish the show had done the same thing, as killing the character off the way they did seemed hard to believe and a bit shabby.